SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Having fun is a fairly easy thing to accomplish for the 12- and 13-year-olds who gather for the Little League World Series.

The players who make it to the world's most famous youth sporting event are showered with new sporting goods, clothes and other gifts while making new friends and staying in a dorm that features a game room full of options. As if boredom ever would be an option, entertainment is arranged and they are the center of attention for adoring fans.

South Nashville manager Chris Mercado is intent on making sure his players remember why they fought so hard to be the first U.S. team to get here in consecutive seasons since 2004-05.

They are here to win some games.

"We've got to let them know the job ain't done," Mercado said Monday after a batting-cage workout and practice on one of the many fields at the Little League International Baseball and Softball Complex.

"We're going to be more stingy this time around," Mercado said repeatedly when looking back at last year's 2-2 finish by the Southeast Region champions.

There are two titles the team can pursue, the U.S. championship that Goodlettsville won in 2012, and the world championship that no Tennessee team has ever accomplished. They will be decided Aug. 23-24.

"Yeah, we're going to have a good time," Mercado said. "But we might as well have a good time and be in that championship game. I want that dog pile in the U.S. championship game more than anything."

Just getting ready for Friday's 2 p.m. opener (ESPN) versus Taney Youth from Philadelphia, the Mid-Atlantic champion, has been enjoyable.

The players were tested and fitted with new bats from Easton on Monday.

"My favorite part is probably just playing on all these really nice fields," Tyler Hammonds said after Monday's practice.

As South Nashville prepares for the 2014 Little League World Series, take a look back at Goodlettsville's 2012 run to the U.S. title and South Nashville's 2013 Series appearance.

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Goodlettsville's Cole Carter (7) ducks to miss an inside pitch at the Little League World Series. Photo by Ralph Wilson / For The Tennessean

Aug. 16, 2012

Goodlettsville vs. Kearney, NE

In its opener at the 2012 Little League World Series, Goodlettsville got home runs from Ryan Lyle, Brock Myers, Jake Rucker and Jayson Brown in a 12-1 victory over Kearney, Nebraska.

Petaluma catcher Austin Paretti, right, blocks the plate and puts the tag on Goodlettsville's Blake Osborne in the second inning. Associated Press photo

Aug. 19, 2012

Goodlettsville vs. Petaluma, CA

Jayson Brown hit a two-run triple in the top of the sixth inning that broke a 5-5 tie, and Brock Myers followed with a two-run homer as Goodlettsville won 9-6 over Petaluma, California.

Southwest player Zachary Sanchez gets past Goodlettsville catcher Cole Carter to score a run in the first inning. Photo by Ralph Wilson / For The Tennessean

Aug. 22, 2012

Goodlettsville vs. McAllister Park, TX

Goodlettsville rallied with two runs in the top of the sixth inning to beat McAllister Park, Texas, 4-3 and advance to the U.S. championship game. A throwing error allowed Jake Rucker to score the tying run, and Cole Carter's RBI single drove in the eventual winning run.

Goodlettsville players celebrate their 24-16 win in the U.S. championship game at the 2012 Little League World Series. Photo by Ralph Wilson / For The Tennessean

Aug. 25, 2012

Goodlettsville vs. Petaluma, CA

Goodlettsville and Petaluma, California, put on an offensive show in the U.S. championship game. Down 15-5 in the sixth inning, Petaluma scored 10 runs to force extra innings. Goodlettsville responded in the seventh, scoring nine runs of its own to record a 24-16 win.

Goodlettsville players walk off the field at the end of a 12-2 loss to Japan in the Little League World Series Championship. Photo by Ralph Wilson / For The Tennessean

Aug. 26, 2012

Goodlettsville vs. Japan

Brock Myers' home run was the only hit Goodlettsville could manage off Japan ace Kotaro Kiyomiya in four innings as the Southeast champions saw their run end with a 12-2 loss in the World Series Championship.

Ben Pickman's home run gave South Nashville a 2-1 lead over Westport, Connecticut, but the New England champions would rally for a 3-2 win, dropping South Nashville into the elimination bracket.

South Nashville's Trae McLemore (27) starts to celebrate with teammates after he hit a grand slam in the sixth inning of a 10-2 victory over Corpus Christi. Associated Press photo

Aug. 17, 2013

South Nashville vs. Corpus Christi, TX

After three scoreless innings, South Nashville's bats came to life in a 10-2 win over Corpus Christi, Texas. Trae McLemore delivered the biggest shot with a sixth-inning grand slam.

South Nashville's Zane Denton, left, trots home to greetings from his teammates after hitting a grand slam against Delaware. Associated Press photo

Aug. 19, 2013

South Nashville vs. Newark, DE

Zane Denton hit a grand slam and Knox Preston's two-run shot in the fourth inning invoked the mercy rule as South Nashville stayed alive with a 10-0 win over Newark, Delaware.

South Nashville players leave the field after being eliminated from the 2013 Little League World Series. Associated Press photo

Aug. 20, 2013

South Nashville vs. Sammamish, WA

Timely hits and defensive errors allowed Sammamish, Washington, to take a 6-2 lead over South Nashville. Ben Pickman, who had homered and doubled earlier in the game, came to bat with the tying run on base in the sixth inning but grounded out to end South Nashville's season.

South Nashville players pose with the championship pennant after winning the Southeast Region. Submitted photo

2014

South Nashville returns to Series

South Nashville won the Southeast Region with a 9-4 victory over Tuckahoe, Virginia and earned its second straight trip to the Little League World Series. South Nashville faces Taney Little League of Philadelphia at 2 p.m. Friday.